Score used-car deal at rental agencies

Hertz says many of its vehicles have 25,000 and 40,000 miles.

Cars sold by Enterprise spend one year as a rental, on average, before being put up for sale, the company says. Hertz has said that many of its vehicles have racked up between 25,000 and 40,000 miles.

A search on the Hertz website, within 1,000 miles of New Orleans, found more than 30,200 cars available recently. A 2018 HyundaiAccent SE Sedan with just over 42,000 miles was selling for $10,856 – $4,139 below market price, according to website iSeeCars.com.

Mileage tells only half the story though. Where those miles occur is also key.

Rental cars are often driven on long road trips over highways. And highway miles aren’t nearly as damaging on vehicles as city miles, according to Kelsey Mays, senior consumer affairs editor at Cars.com.

In city driving, vehicles are constantly stopping, starting and going over bumps. You’ll find city miles more often on cars bought from private owners that

were commuting through neighborhoods and city blocks.

“If you’re getting a car with a lot of city miles and then you’re potentially in for a lot of wear and tear,” Mays said.

On the highway, where most rental cars are driven, roads are smoother.

Hertz, Enterprise and Avis have websites that let you shop around your area without leaving your home. They also offer delivery services to cut down on face-to-face contact, and each has rolled out new cleaning processes in the wake of the coronavirus.

Still, experts say: If you’re going down to check out the lot in-person, don’t forget your hand sanitizer.

“Do your own disinfecting if you buy one of those cars,” said Oren Weintraub, founder of Auto Authority, a firm of car brokers and buying consultants. “But it’s good to speak with someone in authority at the dealership to confirm whether it’s been disinfected and to what degree they disinfect the car.”

Keeping with social distancing, Hertz mails documents for owners to sign and cars can be delivered within 75 miles of a rental location Enterprise also practices social distancing throughout the home delivery process, according to its website.

Even if you’re having a car delivered for a test drive, you should still ask how it was maintained and cleaned, experts say.

It’s common for big rental companies to offer 12-month or 12,000-mile limited warranties. Since many of the cars are still relatively new, the vehicles are often covered under the manufacturer’s warranty, too.

That’s more than you’d likely get at an independent dealership, which often offers a wide variety of used cars as-is with no relationship to the manufacturer. Dealerships affiliated with manufacturers, or franchise dealers, often have service departments that specialize in the types of cars they sell.

Franchise dealers can also offer promotions that wouldn’t be available in a traditional used-car deal, according to Edmunds.

Either way, experts say you should have a third-party specialist look over a car before you buy it.

“If the seller says you can’t take it to a mechanic, that’s a red flag and you should really walk away from that,” Mays said.

A standard car inspection should cost under $200, Mays added. And it’ll reveal any frame damage, water damage or prior accidents that may have occurred. You can also check the vehicle’s history via Carfax or Autocheck.

Finding out about certain structural issues after you’ve bought the car and its out of warranty could be costly.

“Those are really important things that can and probably should be dealbreakers,” Mays added.